After a difficult five-game road trip, the Los Angeles Lakers returned home to face the Detroit Pistons. While the game was close throughout, Kobe Bryant’s near triple-double led the Lakers to their second win of the season, 97-85.

With Andre Drummond leading the league in rebounding, Roy Hibbert played well and finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. However, he suffered a broken nose in the second half, but will play against the Phoenix Suns in the second game of the back-to-back via Ryan Ward of Examiner.com:

Roy Hibbert said he will play tomorrow night against the Phoenix Suns despite the broken nose

Kobe Bryant To Sit Out Against Suns
by Corey Hansford - lakersnation.com

Kobe Bryant had his best all-around performance this season as the Los Angeles Lakers picked up their second win of the season over the Detroit Pistons. Kobe nearly tallied a triple-double as he had eight rebounds and nine assists to go along with his 17 points.

Bryant also played a season-high 37 minutes in the victory, and with the Lakers set to play Phoenix on a back-to-back, head coach Byron Scott said that Kobe will sit out on Monday according to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:

Kobe (37 minutes vs DET) won't play tomorrow in Phoenix. His back stiffened up a bit, but Scott indicated he would have rested him anyway.

The man fought relentlessly all night to control the boards. But then Lakers center Roy Hibbert broke his nose after he received what he called an “inadvertent elbow” from Detroit forward Andre Drummond.

But nothing would keep Hibbert from staying in the game, let alone living up to his job description. In the Lakers’ 97-85 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday at Staples Center, Hibbert posted 12 points on 3-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds and two blocks in 28 minutes. He also played a large part in the Lakers staying even on the rebounding battle (46-46) despite Drummond recording 17.

Hibbert then reminded Kobe Bryant that he once broke his nose three years ago when he played with the Indiana Pacers.

“I told him that. He said, ‘Come on, you ready to do this?’” Hibbert said. “I said ‘Yeah, you broke my nose a few years ago and I finished the game. So I’ll do it again.”

Lakers forward Nick Young and Hibbert both determined he broke his nose. But the Lakers have not. They plan to evaluate him once they return to Los Angeles on Tuesday. In the meantime, Hibbert plans to wear a plastic mask when the Lakers (2-8) visit the Phoenix Suns (5-4) on Monday at U.S. Airways Center.

“I warned him,” Bryant said jokingly about breaking Hibbert’s nose. “He had to learn the hard way. He’s used to it.”

The Lakers have fallen in love with Hibbert after acquiring last summer from Indiana for another reason. They like his leadership approach.

The learning curve for the Lakers has been steep this season, given the number of young players. They have failed on some tests, excelled on others, but the Lakers are getting high marks from their coach.

Byron Scott said experience, or the lack thereof, is largely what separates them from being .500 rather than 2-8, but he’s not worried. Not too much.

“They’re learning. They’re still hungry,” Scott said.

One lesson the Lakers need to learn is to take advantage of a team that is playing the final game of a six-game West Coast swing and showing signs of fatigue. The Lakers let an 11-point lead slip away in the first half, but righted some of those early wrongs Sunday to pull out a 97-85 victory against the road-weary Detroit Pistons.

The younger players held their own in the Lakers’ second victory. Jordan Clarkson had a 17 points and three assists, Julius Randle contributed eight points and eight rebounds, while D’Angelo Russell had nine points and give rebounds.

“Every loss that we’ve incurred, especially the last couple, guys have been really, really upset in the locker room and they’ve come out and played even harder,” Scott said. “So we’ve got to look at it as a good sign that our guys aren’t just taking the losses and saying, ‘Oh, well.’

“They do care about trying to come out here and win basketball games, and that’s important.”

Byron Scott questions Lakers' effort after they falter late in defeat
by Janis Carr - ocregister.com

The Lakers have placed much of their focus and fortunes this season on their young players, wide-eyed kids looking to get a quick jump on their NBA careers.

Don’t toss aside the old folks just yet.

Metta World Peace, Roy Hibbert and Lou Williams, who have a combined 32 years of NBA experience, kept the Lakers close for three quarters Monday before the Phoenix Suns pulled away for a 120-101 victory at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix.

It wasn’t pretty in the final quarter. The Suns tore through the Lakers’ defense and capitalized on a handful of turnovers and mistakes in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Lakers 40-26.

“We stuck around, but I thought they played hard and we didn’t,” Coach Byron Scott said. “They were much more aggressive. They got loose balls. They seemed to want it a lot more than we did tonight.”

Whatever momentum, good mood and high fives floated around the locker room after the Lakers beat Detroit the previous night was gone thanks in part to the Suns’ 1-2 punch of Brandon Knight (30 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds) and Eric Bledsoe (21 points.)

Scott dismissed any notion that the Lakers were fatigued during the second of a back-to-back.

“I keep hearing about this back-to-back. To me that’s (garbage). It really is. It’s basketball,” Scott said. “You come ready to play. But I thought our guys gave an effort but their guys’ effort was 10 times better.”

The Lakers fell apart in the fourth quarter on Monday night in Phoenix, losing to the Suns, 120-101.

Veteran All-Star Kobe Bryant sat out after playing big minutes in the Lakers' win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Without him, his team stayed competitive for three periods, but turnovers proved fatal as the Suns put together a 40-point final quarter.

Brandon Knight notched a triple-double with 30 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds, along with four steals to lead Phoenix to the win.

The Lakers held the Suns to just 32.0% shooting in the first period, yet trailed 26-22 after giving up eight offensive rebounds. Metta World Peace scored 10 of his 12 points in the first period.

Lou Williams and Nick Young carried the Lakers in the second period, scoring 10 and eight points, but the Lakers' deficit remained four, 57-53, at halftime.

Phoenix pushed ahead by as many as nine, but the Lakers were still within striking distance heading into the fourth period, down 80-75. That's when the bottom fell out.

The Lakers started turning the ball over and Phoenix's offense kicked into high gear -- while the Lakers’ defense crumbled. The Suns hit 69.6% of their shot attempts from the field in the period (16-23), including nine of their first 10.

When the dust settled, the Lakers suffered a 19-point loss with 17 turnovers, despite a solid offensive night, shooting 48.1% from the field, 90.0% from the line (18-20) and 45.0% from three-point range (9-20).

The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns 120-101 on Tuesday night, their 9th loss in their first 11 games, tying their worst 11-game start in franchise history, according to ESPN Stats and Information. The team has looked the part on the court, and their efficiency ratings back it up: as of Tuesday night, the Lakers possessed the NBA's fourth worst defense, offense, and net rating. The ultra-pipe dream of playoff contention the team professed during the lead-up to the regular season is over.

In addition to not being a very good basketball team, there were a few factors making things worse on the Lakers on Tuesday night. The team was playing in the dreaded home and away back-to-back, only getting in to Phoenix at around 1:00 on Tuesday morning after getting their second win of the year in a hard fought game against the Detroit Pistons the night before in Los Angeles. Lakers head coach Byron Scott did not want any excuses about fatigue after the team hung with the Suns for three quarters before giving up a 40 point fourth quarter as Phoenix pulled away:

Scott: "I keep hearing about this ‘back-to-back.’ That to me is a bunch of crap. It really is. It’s basketball. You come ready to play."

That was not the only platitude Scott had to blame for the Lakers latest loss:

Byron Scott: “Our guys gave an effort, but I thought their effort was 10 times better."

How do you fix that?

"It’s all about manning up."

This is at least the second time Scott has called his players' manhood into question after a loss. This is problematic for a number of reasons, not the least of which are the vaguely sexist undertones, but Scott is a product of a different time and probably did not mean it like this, so I will assume he was basically equating "manning up" with toughness here.

That's a problem because some lack of being "men" or "toughness" or "grit" is not to blame for the Lakers problems. This is a roster full of mostly poor defensive players outside of Roy Hibbert and flashes of Larry Nance, Jr. Compound that with Scott's increasingly baffling decision to continue to play Brandon Bass at center and you have the recipe for a 40-point quarter from the Suns.

Kobe Bryant and Peyton Manning are both superstar athletes who can be considered all-time greats at their respective positions. They have had an incredible amount of success in their sport, as well as in their business ventures on the side. They have each won championships, MVPs and have had numerous personal achievements that stand out in the minds of many.

During their peaks, they were nearly unstoppable, and would often single-handedly lead their teams to victory. Their understanding of the game, intense preparation and legendary work ethics have allowed them to continue their careers at a high level, but Father Time may have finally caught up to both athletes.

Bryant has seen his last three seasons end early because of injury, and he is clearly not the same player he once was. He has been playing in the league since he was a teenager, and has endured a number of long playoff runs. It has taken a toll on his body, and it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank. He is shooting an abysmal percentage from the field while playing for a Los Angeles Lakers team that is among the worst in the league.

Kobe has taken heat for accepting a large contract that has hurt the organization’s changes of strengthening their roster. He is clearly frustrated that he can no longer produce at a high level, but that has not stopped him from trying. He is no longer capable of carrying the team, and has had to play the role of a mentor to his younger teammates.

The Lakers have assigned Stanford rookie guard/forward Anthony Brown to the D-Fenders.

Brown, taken by the Lakers with the 34th overall pick in June's NBA draft, will be available on Tuesday night when the D-Fenders visit the Bakersfield Jam. The game will be broadcast on the NBA Development League's YouTube channel.

Despite starting for the Lakers throughout the preseason in games Kobe Bryant sat out with a leg injury, Brown has made just three regular-season appearances for the team and has taken two shots, making one.

Metta World Peace believes he’s in better shape than in his first Lakers stint
by Mark Medina - dailynews.com

The respect Lakers coach Byron Scott held for Metta World Peace’s defense stayed as sturdy as his physical frame. Like anyone connected to the Lakers, Scott also appreciates the former Ron Artest’s role in securing the franchise’s last championship five years ago.

But after the Lakers signed World Peace to a non-guaranteed contract, Scott “felt real leery if he was going to be able to get through training camp.” World Peace last played in the NBA with the New York Knicks in the 2013-14 season, but he played only 29 games before accepting a buyout. He also entered training camp with a back and left calf injury that sidelined him through most of the first week.

“That’s when I thought he’s not going to make it,” Scott said.

Two months later, World Peace started against the Phoenix Suns on Monday at Talking Stick Resort Arena while Kobe Bryant sat out for the third time in the past five contests. Scott gushed that World Peace is “playing a major role for us,” including starts in two games and mentoring the team’s young players. Though he entered Monday’s game against Phoenix averaging a modest 6.5 points on 39.4 percent shooting in 18.8 minutes, World Peace posted 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting, 2-of-2 from 3-point range and two rebounds in the first half versus the Suns.

World Peace also argued he “absolutely” is in better shape than in his first stint with the Lakers (2009-2013).

“I feel way better. I can do whatever I want,” the 36-year-old World Peace told Los Angeles News Group. “Essentially, I’m a wild card.”

World Peace, a 15-year NBA veteran, insisted he’s “not trying to prove anybody wrong” after playing overseas last year in China and Italy.

Lakers Would be Foolish to Risk Losing Robert Upshaw for Good
by Anthony Yassa - lakeshowlife.com

The Lakers made a brilliant move when they secured a summer league commitment from Robert Upshaw directly after the draft.

After deciding to pass on the highly-touted center Jahlil Okafor in favor of D’Angelo Russell, the move was especially significant. The Lakers were able to secure a prospect at the center with lottery level talent and potential, while still drafting a talented guard.

Unfortunately, since then, the Lakers have seemingly been determined to render that move worthless. After Upshaw flashed impressive potential in the summer league and preseason, they decided to release him in favor of Robert Sacre, who has a firm hold on the fourth string center spot. Ironically, Sacre does not even suit up for games.

First of all, the fact that they were willing to release a high-upside player to keep a player who can’t even crack the third unit shows a disturbing lack of foresight. The reasoning behind this was that the Lakers would benefit more this season from Sacre’s experience and locker room presence, while Upshaw’s contributions would come later. As the Lakers were clearly a rebuilding team, that reasoning was laughable even before the season. After a 2-8 start, however, the Lakers should really be rethinking their priorities.

If the Lakers realign their priorities with reality, they’ll realize that Robert Upshaw fits perfectly with their young core. Julius Randle is an exceptional prospect at the four, but lacks the length to protect the rim. Upshaw compliments him perfectly in this regard, and in other areas as well.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott has been clear on how he feels he should deal with D’Angelo Russell, but it could end up costing him in long run.

If the emergence of Denver Nuggets 2015 draft pick Emmanuel Mudiay is any indication, it’s time that the Los Angeles Lakers trusted fully in their rookie.

Mudiay hasn’t been the greatest player or rookie just yet, there’s still a lot of basketball left to be played this season, but you can’t ignore the fact that he is showing he can learn from his mistakes.

And even in the times where Mudiay hasn’t come through, the Nuggets continue to show that they want him to run the show long term — and so far, it’s been the right move.

Contrast that to the situation in Los Angeles with former Ohio State Buckeye D’Angelo Russell.

Instead of encouragement, we’ve seen scorning. Instead of learning, we’ve seen shakiness and fear.

Instead of production, we’re stuck talking about his potential.

That’s not the Lakers basketball that I know of or approve of, and neither should you.

No, the team isn’t supposed to be NBA Finals caliber, or anything close to that, but to think that there’s no room for improvement, or that the cure is just going to show up on its own is wishful thinking.

As this report by CBS Sports indicates, Byron Scott has a clear distrust of Russell already.

That is the last kind of relationship any franchise would want their head coach to have with their latest, most prized investment.

Julius Randle is getting to the rim, but his right hand and finishing is still a work in progress
by Drew Garrison - silverscreenandroll.com

Julius Randle's career had to take a year-long pause, but his return to the Los Angeles Lakers has gone incredibly smooth. If nothing else, the fact that he's logging 28.8 minutes per game in what's essentially his rookie season has been one of the few positives of the year.

Sunday night, though, we saw perhaps the clearest example yet of a secret we've all known deep down: Julius can only go left when he's trying to finish in the paint. That's an issue defenders will ultimately exploit, and while Randle is pretty good at finding ways to finish at the rim now, over what is hopefully a long and productive career finishing with his right is a something he'll need to do.

He's creative at using his left, though, and can already strike like lightning or roll like thunder to get where he wants on the floor. That's how he's able to make up for the weak right as a pseudo-rookie just a dozen or so games into his career, which has been great to watch so far. Just look at the way he houses Kenneth Faried on this baseline move:

Roy Hibbert is protecting the rim and his young teammates
by Mike Bresnahan - latimes.com

Roy Hibbert likes to pretend he hates the media.

"Goodbye y'all," he'll say when it's time for reporters to leave the locker room 45 minutes before tip-off of every game.

He puts on a grouchy front and is perhaps a little irritated with the way things ended with the Indiana Pacers. A local columnist was critical of him and the Pacers weren't very friendly either, shipping Hibbert to the Lakers in July for a 2019 second-draft pick after publicly saying in April they could no longer guarantee him a starting spot.

Hibbert sent out a near-midnight tweet last week, standing up for young Lakers D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson.

They were "gonna be tough to deal with in this league," Hibbert tweeted. "Give them a couple years to play 2gether."

It came after a tough two-point loss to Orlando, one of many for the Lakers (2-9) already this season.

"I spent a lot of time with those guys after the game. I had a family member in town and we [all] went to dinner," Hibbert later said. "After that, we went back to the room. The rooks came up to my room and we were up until 4 a.m., just watching the Spurs play Portland and talking.

"I learned from them, they learned from me. I see the potential. People just have to be patient."

Hibbert says he doesn't read stories about himself or the Lakers. He still senses the impatience, though.

The Lakers assigned Brown to the D-Fenders earlier that day to play against the Suns' D-League squad.

Coming off the bench, Brown hit eight of 17 shot attempts, including three of 10 from behind the arc, while dishing three assists in 32 minutes. He also collected three rebounds and two steals, but turned the ball over three times.

The D-Fenders improved to 3-0 on the season, led by former Lakers guard Manny Harris, who scored 31 points.

The Lakers’ promising rookie point guard sat on the bench, eagerly wishing he could step on the court. Those endless episodes often became frustrating.

After all, the Lakers were intrigued with his potential. They liked his playmaking. They liked his versatility. Yet, Lakers coach Byron Scott refused to give his rookie guard an opportunity and often cited his preference in relying on his veteran backcourt players.

This has played out often for D’Angelo Russell, the No. 2 draft pick who has sat out the entire fourth quarter four times through 11 games. The Lakers (2-9) enter Friday’s game against the Toronto Raptors (7-4) at Staples Center with their rookie starting point guard showing some good (9.5 points, 1.5 turnovers), bad (2.7 assists) and ugly (a 39.5 percent clip from the field).

This also happened to Lakers second-year guard Jordan Clarkson, who sympathizes with Russell’s position because he experienced something similar nearly a year ago.

“I know he wants to be out there, but he’s learning,” Clarkson told Los Angeles News Group. “That’s his best way to get his experience right now. So then when the time comes, he won’t make the same mistakes.”

When asked if he has offered Russell perspective on his own experience, Clarkson said, “For sure.”

But Russell offered a different version. When asked if Clarkson has talked to him about the limited role to open his rookie season, Russell said, “No.”

wow

haha ya I noticed that too. I bet we are missing a bit of context there.

Clarkson is out for his own skin, he knows his greatness in the NBA is right around the corner. Basically he tells Russell, give me that ball and stay the hell away. That's about the extent of his conversation with Russell.

When asked if he has offered Russell perspective on his own experience, Clarkson said, “For sure.”

But Russell offered a different version. When asked if Clarkson has talked to him about the limited role to open his rookie season, Russell said, “No.”

wow

haha ya I noticed that too. I bet we are missing a bit of context there.

Clarkson is out for his own skin, he knows his greatness in the NBA is right around the corner. Basically he tells Russell, give me that ball and stay the hell away. That's about the extent of his conversation with Russell.

Really is that what Jordan is saying? My only question for you is were you there when this convo happened?_________________Winning is all that matters!!

D'Angelo Russell may be struggling, but Julius Randle is shining
By TheGreatMambino silverscreenandroll.com

D'Angelo Russell is too slow.

D'Angelo Russell can't shoot.

D'Angelo Russell turns over the ball far too often.

D'Angelo Russell looks lost on the offense.

D'Angelo Russell is not going to pan out.

D'Angelo Russell is a bust.

This noise is what revolves around the Los Angeles Lakers on a daily basis. If it's not about Kobe Bryant's potential retirement or Byron Scott's questionable employment credentials, it's certainly about 2015's second overall pick.

But it's not without good reason.

It was never going to be easy for a 19-year-old point guard. Never, ever. He's still a teenager playing the most demanding position in the NBA during the league's most prolific era for point guards. Russell is commanding an offense that is questionable for this personnel to begin with, under the tutelage of a coaching staff who may not, in fact, be qualified enough to be teaching him in the first place. He's playing alongside two youngsters who have less than 60 games of experience between them and a fading star who is still trying to find his legs.

Still, it's alarming to see how little his pedigree shines through. In his first ten contests, Russell has shown flashes of what the Lakers saw before they took him second in last June's draft, but those have been momentary flashes in the most literal sense of the word. We've seen some nice passes thus far and some decent shooting performances, but overall, its been pretty hard to see just what the front office thought they would have in D'Angelo rather than other players like Jahlil Okafor, Kristaps Porzingis or Mario Hezonja. Disconcerting, it seems, is the most operative word here.

Though that word would be kind. Because fans are freaking out.

With every 20-10 game from Okafor or highlight-reel putback dunk from Porzingis, Lakers fans cringe at the thought that the second-overall pick could turn into a monumental bust. It's not that Russell looks bad now -- that much was to be expected. It's that whatever potential lies within his game has come out so infrequently. It's really no surprise that fans are alarmed, even with all the impediments in front of Russell. Even us even-handed writers over here at Silver Screen & Roll have had several panicked conversations amidst the rookie's slow start. It feels like the chatter has been justified, though "chatter" might not be the appropriate word here. The outcry has been, at times, deafening.

So deafening, in fact, that it's drowning out all the buzz Julius Randle should be getting.

In his first ten games of what is technically his second season, the 2014 seventh overall pick looks like he could be a star in this league. On the surface, the numbers are solid: 10.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. He's shooting just 42.9 percent overall, which isn't great, but he's also being given over 10 shots per game, a gigantic number for a guy with just a dozen professional contests under his belt.

We could pick apart Randle all day. He's by no means a finished product, with gigantic holes in his game and plenty of improvement to be had. In fact, our man Drew Garrison just analyzed just how effective Randle is in getting to the rim, but the fact that his right hand isn't developed is stunting his game.

However, unlike his rookie counterpart D'Angelo Russell, there aren't just flashes from Julius -- there are full on lightning storms.